1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wall clock with a thermometer and a perpetual calendar mechanism comprising: an outer case; a quartz movement; a temperature device; switches; two battery sets; a drive motor; a day gear train to drive a day of the week disc, a tens disc, and a units disc; a month gear train with a gear wheel and a calendar cam to drive a month indicator hand. Calendar cam has forty-eight teeth and forty-eight interstices, the depths of which depend on the length of months. Calendar cam has a leap year adjustment mechanism. A control switch assembly has a control arm portion that carries a switch and a movable pin. A three-step cam mounted on the rear surface of the units disc cooperates with the movable pin on control arm portion to switch a mechanism on that causes the units disc to correct itself at the end of every month providing an end-of-the-month day-correction mechanism. Wall clock includes a battery replacement or low battery signal flag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Clocks or timepieces with perpetual calendar mechanisms have been known, in which a clock movement having time indicator hands to indicate time, and an arrangement automatically controls displays of days and dates, including months having 28, 29, 30, or 31 days.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,645 granted to Charbonney. A calendar timepiece movement comprising three indicators, the first indicator bears the series of units figures from 0 to 9 twice, the second indicator bears the series of ten figures, from 0 to 33 times and the third indicator displaying the day of the week; a driving mechanism wherein said indicators are coaxial with an hour wheel; a correction mechanism comprising a rotating correction assembly and said driving mechanism comprising a calendar wheel actuating said first indicator; an intermediate rotating part coaxial said calendar wheel, actuated by said first indicator and actuating said second indicator; and a shifting member coaxial with said correction assembly for shifting said third indicator.
For another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,609,589 granted to Shue. A perpetual calendar clock comprising an analog clock and three sets of rotary wheels. The rotary wheels correspond to displays of the months, the day of the month and the day of the week. A clock 4 provides three output terminals for controlling the actuations of three motors through the use of rotatable contact wheels.
Other attempts have been made over the years to have clocks or timepieces with perpetual calendar mechanisms. Thus, in addition to those recited above, applicant is familiar with the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,953 Nov. 29, 1977 Morriision
U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,759 Jul. 11, 1995 Vaucher
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,321 Dec. 16, 1997 Vaucher
U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,483 Jun. 27, 2000 Capt, et al
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,278 Aug. 22, 2000 Rochat
U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,421 Nov. 28, 2000 Solomon
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,167 Jun. 3, 2003 Weissbach
U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,122 Nov. 30, 2004 Zaugg
U.S. Pat. No. 7,266,050 Sep. 4, 2007 Eisenegger
U.S. Pat. No. 7,532,546 May 12, 2009 Sizuki
US-D101,723 Oct. 27, 1936 O. G. William
US-D297,621 Sep. 13, 1988 Teves
US-D348,617 Jul. 12, 1994 Riley
US-D395,830 Jul. 7, 1998 Riley
None of the patents referenced, provides a clock which has a clear and large display of time and calendar information and which requires no maintenance, adjustment, or correction in its displayed information, over a four year period.
It is one object of this invention to provide a large dimension of the day and date displays.
It is another object of this invention to provide a complete analog mechanism that displays and corrects the date at the end of every month, accounting for leap years.
It is a specific object of this invention to provide a temperature device with an indicator hand and a large temperature-figure-scale that is easy to see the temperature.
It is further object of this invention to provide an easy reading of time, day, date, and month.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a four year battery supply to yield a perpetual calendar clock that never needs to be re-set provided batteries are replaced at least every four years.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a low battery signal device that pre-cautions to replace the batteries.
It is further another object of this invention to provide a reliable, and durable perpetual calendar mechanism.
Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises an outer case that is a rigid cylindrical-shaped member having a closed end and an open end, a circular intermediate wall and a circular inner wall, the walls, which are mounted upon the inner surface of the closed end, are concentric with a center axis of the outer case, a flange and a ring are mounted to the open end of the outer case.
A day disc has a center hole and a gear ring mounted to the inner circumference of the day disc. The day disc is rotatably disposed above the circular inner wall, so that the outer circumference of the ring forms a slip fit with the inner circumference of the circular inner wall. The day disc has a visual depiction of the seven days of the week, such as MO, TU, WE, TH, FR, SA, SU, equally spaced around on the front surface thereof, and a spacer bump exists between the two names of the days of the week.
A tens disc has a center hole, a visual depiction of three sets of the number sequence 0, 1, 2, 3, equally spaced around on the front surface thereof, and a spacer bump exists between the two numbers. The rear surface of the tens disc has a ring [152] and first catches, second catches and cams thereon. The tens disc is rotatably disposed above the circular intermediate wall, so that the inner circumference of the ring [152] forms a slip fit with the outer circumference of the circular intermediate wall, the center hole of the tens disc sized to accommodate and surround the day disc, and the outer circumference of the ring [152] formed notches to cooperate with a jumper to keep the tens disc in its position.
A units disc has a center hole, a visual depiction of the number sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, equally spaced around on the front surface thereof, a spacer bump exists between the two numbers. The rear surface of the units disc comprises a gear ring [151] engaged with a day gear train for driving the units disc, a first, second and third movable pins cooperate with the first, second catches and the cams on the tens disc to control rotations of the tens disc and the units disc. The units disc is rotatably disposed above the ring [35], so that the outer circumference of the units disc forms a slip fit with the inner circumference of the outer case, and the center hole of the units disc sized to accommodate and surround the tens disc, a notch made into the outer circumference of the units disc between the two numbers to cooperate with a second switch [48] to control the rotation of the units disc.
A clock dial has a day-date-window, a time, month and temperature scale depictions on its front surface. The clock dial is disposed above the flange [34], so that the spacer bumps on the day, tens, and units discs arranged to rotatably engage with the rear surface of the clock dial. A clock cover disc made of glass or clear plastic is disposed above a retainer ring on the clock dial, a cover ring secures the clock cover disc.
A quartz clock movement mounted inside the circular inner wall has a second, minute and hour shafts that pass there through a hole in the center of the clock dial and connected to a second hand, minute hand, and an hour hand. A wheel holding disc is disposed above the clock movement to secure the clock movement.
A temperature device has one end mounted to an axle, and the other end inserted through a hole in a holding portion, the axle passes there through another hole in the holding portion and through a hole in the clock dial and connected with one end of a temperature indicator hand to indicate the temperature.
A first drive assembly has a 24-hour gear wheel, a control switch wheel, a spring, a driven wheel and a two tooth wheel, all of them are coaxially, rotatably disposed to an axle mounted upon the wheel holding disc, so that the 24-hour gear wheel engaging with a 12-hour gear wheel mounted on the hour shaft of the clock movement, the control switch wheel engaging with the terminal of a first switch [47], and the spring connects the control switch wheel to the driven wheel together, a short catch on the 24-hour gear wheel is placed in a first long curved aperture in the control switch wheel to drive the control switch wheel.
Thus, at midnight, the first tooth of the driven wheel that has teeth on about the haft of the outer circumference thereof, engages with a day gear train, and the two-tooth wheel engages with the gear ring [153] on the day disc, at the time, the terminal of the first switch [47] enters a notch in the outer circumference of the control switch wheel, actuating the switch [47] to turn ON, a drive motor starts to drive the day gear train, and the day disc and the units disc to rotate. When the units disc rotates over the terminal of the second switch [48] that causes the switch [48] to turn ON, at the time, the terminal of the switch [47] slides in the notch on the control switch wheel causing the switch [47] to turn OFF. The day disc and the units disc continuously rotate until the last tooth of the two-tooth wheel releases the gear ring on the day disc, then the last tooth of the driven wheel releases the day gear train. The units disc continuously rotates until the terminal of the second switch [48] enters into the notch on the units disc, the switch [48] is turned OFF. A day and date change is done.
As known there are two number 1's on the units disc, the number 1 next to 0 called the first number 1, and the number 1 next to 2 called the second number 1. Whenever number 1 or 2 on the tens disc and the number 1 on the units disc display at the same time within the day-date window (corresponding to days 11th or 21st), the second number 1 will be passed before the next date displayed. More details will be explained below.
The clock of this invention further comprises a calendar cam with a center hole, forty-eight teeth and forty-eight interstices formed in the outer circumference thereof. The depths of the interstices are various depending on the lengths of the months of four years including a leap year. The calendar cam is rotatably disposed above the inner surface of the closed end of the outer case, so that the inner circumference of the calendar cam forms a slip fit with the outer circumference of the circular inner wall, a ring is rotatably secured above the calendar cam and a cam cover disc with a center hole disposed above the ring. The cam cover disc is secured to posts mounted on the inner surface of the closed end of the outer case.
A cam drive assembly comprises a cam driver and a control drive portion, that cooperates with a cam on a control disc to drive the calendar cam one tooth each month. A control switch assembly has a control arm portion. One end of the control arm portion engages with the bottom of the interstice of the calendar cam, the remaining end is engaged with the cam on the control disc to drive the control arm portion. The control arm portion bears a fourth switch [50] and a movable pin that cooperates with a three-step cam on the units disc to control the rotation of the units disc to correct the end-of-the-month correction. More details and other objects will be explained hereinafter.